Partition structure for trucks



-11,19 QHMCCURDY 1,39 ,6

PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR TRUCKS Filed Feb. 32, 1943 INVENTQR. .CLlFFORD wmcunmr BY r ATTORNE'YS Patented Dec. 11, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PA TITION STRUCTURE FOR TRUCKS Clifford H. McCurdy, Detroit, Mich. Application February 22, 1943, Serial No. 476,756

'1 Claims.

This invention relates generally to partition structures and refers more particularly to partition assemblies for dumptrucks adapted to haul loose material such as coal, gravel, sand and the like.

one Of the essential objects of the invention to provide the body of a dump truck with upright partitions that cooperate with the walls of the truck body to provide compartments for the loose material and are provided atxtheir upper edges with hinged flaps which may be swung or, tilted either forwardly or rearwardly to inclined positions to form funnels to facilitate loading of the compartments.

Another object is to provide flaps of the type mentioned that may be held in an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partitions to add height thereto for capacity purposes and to prevent the loose material in one compartment from traveling or overflowing to an adjacent compartment, especially when the body of the truck is tilted for unloading purposes.

Another object is to provide the truck with partitions that may be separately inserted and interchanged as desired or may be individually removed to vary the size of the compartments.

Another object is to provide opposite sides of the hinged flaps with lugs that are alternately engageable with opposite sides of the partitions to-hold the flaps successively in forward and rear.. ward inclined positions.

Another object is to provide the flaps with latch structures that are adapted to hold the flaps in the upright position and are adapted to be moved out of the way and rendered inoperative when it is desired to swing or tilt the flaps to the inclined positions.

Another object is to provide partitions having stiffening and reinforcing means of such a character that lighter gauge metal will suffice in the construction thereof.

Another object is to provide a partition structure that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to install and eflicient in operation.

Other objects, advantages and, novel details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent asthis description proceeds especially, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck having apartitionedstructure embodying my invention; FiguraZ is an enlarged elevational view, show-.

ing some of the partitions and flaps ins,ection;,;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional View through the truck and partitionstructure;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-45. of Figure 3;

Figure '1 is a sectional view taken on the line 1.-'l of Figure 3, and showing by dotted lines the alternate inclined positions of the flaps;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the partitions.

Referring now to the drawing, A is a dump truck having a conventional open top tiltable body B. for hauling loose material such as coal,

gravel, sand and the like, and C is a. partition structure embodying my invention within said body.

As shown, there are five upright partitions l0 within the body B, however any suitable number may be employed as: desired Preferably the partitions l0. extend transversely of the body B at longitudinally spaced points thereof and cooperate, with, the walls of said body to provide a series of compartments l l for thereception of the loose; material mentioned.

All of the partitions I U are detachably mounted within the: body B and are alike in construction so as tobe interchangeable. Thus, the partitions [0 may be individually inserted and removed to vary the, size, of the respective compartments I I.

In the present instance, the partitions 10 are formed o-fisheet metal and are provided at opposite ends thereof with vertically spaced angle irons t3 which rest upon similarly spaced angle irons l4 fixed to opposite side walls. D and E respectively of the truck body. Inverted L- shape rods 15 extendvertically through aligned holes in the angle irons l3 and I4 to detachably hold the partitions ID in. place. If desired, the partitions [0 may extend. downwardly from the upper edges to the floor 16 of the body B or may extend only part way down and cooperate with o hingedly suspended, partition sections H, such as those embodied in Patent No. 2,344,569,. dated March2l, 1944, to complete the division of the body B into the compartments H.

One of the important features of the present invention resides in. the combination with the partitions [0' at the upper edges thereof of;

hingedly. mounted flaps Mwhich extend throughout substantially the entire length of the partitions and may beswung or tilted. forwardly or reanwardlyrelativethereto from. annpright posi 1 tion substantially in vertical alignment with the partitions II] to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof to form funnels to facilitate loading of the compartments I l.

The invention also contemplates the provision of means adapted to hold the flaps M in upright and inclined positions respectively. The flaps'M add height to the partitions for capacity purposes and effectively prevent the loose material in one compartment II from traveling or overflowin to an adajacent compartment, especially when the body B of the truck is tilted in the usual manner for unloading purposes.

Preferably the flaps M have sectional hinges 30 which connect them to the partitions It at the upper edges thereof and have latch structures 3| for holding them in upright position.

The sections 33 and 34 of each hinge are rigid with the flaps M and partitions It and contain a horizontal pintle 37. Any number of such hinges may be employed at spaced points of the joint between the partitions I0 and flaps M.

For holding the flaps M in the inclined positions mentioned I have provided upon opposite sides of the flaps, preferably adjacent their lower edges, one or more lugs 40 and ll respectively that are engageable with the forward and rear sides respectively of the partitions l0 when the flaps M reach the proper upwardly inclined positions, as illustrated in Figure 7 For example, when the flaps M are swung to the forward inclined position, the lugs 46 upon the forward sides of the flaps will abut th e forward sides of the partitions l 0, When the flaps I!) are swung to the rearward inclined position, then th lugs 4| upon the rearward sides of the flaps M will abut the rear sides of the partitions l0. In each case the lugs 40 and 4| will cooperate with the partitions Hi to effectively hold the flaps in the two inclined positions mentioned.

The latch structures 3| for holding the flaps M in an upright position are preferably in the form of inverted L-shaped rods 50 that are engageable with vertically aligned holes in brackets 52 and 53 respectively rigid with the flaps M and partitions It). When not in use the arms 55 of the rods 50 may be engaged with substantially L-shaped hooks 5E5 rigid with the flaps M so that such rods 55 may be carried by :the flap M free of the partitions when the flaps are swung or tilted as aforesaid.

In order that relatively light gauge sheet metal may suffice in the construction of the partitions, they are preferably provided adjacent their upper and lower edges with reinforcing or stiffening bars 6i? and 6!. Preferably the upper bars 60 are solid and are substantially triangular shape in cross section, while the lower bars tl are angle irons. However, bars of any suitable configuration may be mployed, as'desired. In each instance the bars extend substantially from one end to the other of the partitions and effectively brace the same. If desired the upper bars 60 may be suificiently close to the upper edges of the partitions If! to also serve as abutments for the lugs 4! upon the rear sides of the flaps M When the latter are swung to their rearward inclined position.

In use; the compartments ll may 'be filled in any order desired with loose material such as coal, gravel, sand and the like. For example, such compartments may be filled in sequence from front to-rear of the truck or vice versa; or any one or more of the compartments may be filled and the others left empty; Inall cases,

however, the flaps at the upper edges of the compartment I l to be filled are swung to the inclined positions illustrated in Figure 2 to form a funnel to facilitate the loading of such compartment. Thus, a comparatively narrow compartment ll may be expeditiously filled without likelihood of the material spilling over into an adjacent compartment,'as such material will be guided or directed by the flaps M into the proper compartment I .After one compartment I I has been filled then the flap M at the upper edges of the next-compartment to be filled are swung to the inclined positions illustrated in Figure 2. Thus, when adjacent compartments are successively filled, the

flap on the partition I0 forming the intermediate common wall for both compartments is swung from the inclined position for filling the first mentioned compartment to theopposite inclined position to help fill the second compartment.

When the compartments are fully loaded or when the truck is ready to make a delivery of its load, the flaps M may be moved to and locked by the latch structure 3| in the upright position illustrated in Figure 6. Consequently there will be'no overflow of the load in one compartment to another when the truck body B is tilted in the customary manner for unloading purposes. This is especially important when different types or grades of coal are carried in the respective com-' partments and it is desired to keep them separate and to prevent them from commingling, Also, one truck having several compartments as described may carry in such compartments loads for different destinations, and in such a case it is of course desirable to maintain and keep each load complete and intact and separate from the others until it is actually unloaded.

If desired the flaps M may be used as covers for the respective compartments to provide in effect a sectional closure at the upper edges of the partitions to protect the material in the compartments from the weather elements; For example, such flaps M may be sufiiciently large in area to span one half or all the distance between partitions, and may be pivoted so that they may swing from vertical to substantially horizontal position to close the spaces between the partitions and thereby serve as covers for the compartments. Any suitable latch means (not shown) may be provided on the sides of the truck body or upon the partitions themselves for holding the flaps in the various positions including the closed position just mentioned. to which they may be adjusted.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with an open top truck body'adapted to haul loose materialyof a pluralityof upright partitions within said body at spaced points thereof and cooperating with upright walls of the body to provide compartments for the reception of said material, hingedly mounted flaps at the upper edges of said partitions adapted to swing in opposite directions from an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partitions to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof, means carried by the flaps and engageable with the partitions to hold the flaps in the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, and reinforcing and stiffening strips for said partitions, certain of said strips being in the path of and constituting abutments for a part of the holding means just mentioned.

2. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul loose material, of an upright partition within said body and cooperating with upright walls thereof to provide compartments for the reception of said material, a hingedly mounted flap at the upper edge of said partition adapted to swing in opposite directions from an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partition to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof, means upon the flap and successively engageable with opposite sides of the partition to hold the flapin the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, and reinforcing and stiffening means for said partition, a portion of said reinforcing means being in the path of and constituting an abutment for a portion of said holding means.

3. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul loose material, of an upright partition within said body and cooperating with upright walls thereof to provide compartments for the reception of said material, a hingedly mounted flap at the upper edge of said partition adapted to swing in opposite directions from an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partition to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof, means rigid with opposite sides of the flap and successively engageable with opposite sides of the partition to hold the flap alternately in the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, and means for holding the flap in the upright position mentioned, said holding means comprising members rigid with said flap and partition, and an element extending through and movable relative to said members.

4. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul loose material, of a plurality of spaced upright partitions within said body, flaps constituting upward extensions of and hingedly mounted upon said partitions at the upper edges thereof for swinging movement from an intermediate upright position substantially in vertical alignment with said partitions to upwardly inclined positions relative thereto, whereby fiaps on adjacent partitions may cooperate with each other to form a funnel for directing the loose material into the space between said adjacent partitions, means on opposite sides of the flaps successively engageable with opposite sides of the partitions to hold the flaps in the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, and means for holding the flaps in the upright position mentioned, said holding means including brackets on the partitions and flaps, and means slidable through said brackets.

5. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul material, of an upright partition within said body and cooperating with the entire length of said partition at the upper edge thereof adapted to swing in opposite directions from an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partition to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof, lugs rigid with opposite sides of the flap and successively engageable with opposite sides of the partition to support the flap alternately in the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, and means for holding said flap in the upright position mentioned, said holding means including brackets carried by said partition and flap, and movable means spanning the joint between said partition and flap and engaging said brackets.

6. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul material, of an upright partition within said body and cooperating with upright walls thereof to provide compartments for the reception of said material, a hingedly mounted flap extending throughout substantially the entire length of said partition atthe upper edge thereof adapted to swing in opposite directions from an upright position substantially in vertical alignment with the partition to upwardly inclined positions upon opposite sides thereof, means upon opposite sides of the flap and successively engageable with opposite sides of the partition to support the flap alternately in the upwardly inclined positions mentioned, brackets rigid with the partition and flap respectively, and means engaging both of said brackets to hold the flap in the upright position mentioned, said holding means being movable relative to both brackets to become disengaged from one of them to permit swinging movement of the flap to. either of the inclined positions aforesaid.

7. The combination with an open top truck body adapted to haul loose material, of a plurality of spaced upright partitions within said body, flaps constituting upward extensions of and hingedly mounted upon said partitions at the upper edges thereof for swinging movement from an intermediate upright position substantially in vertical alignment with said partitions to upwardly inclined pOsitions relative thereto, whereby flaps on adjacent partitions may cooperate with each other to form a funnel for directing the loose material into the space between said adjacent partitions, and means for supporting the flaps in the funnel formation mentioned, said means including means rigid with the flaps and engageable with the partitions, and reinforcing means for the partitions constituting abutments for a part of said supporting means.

CLIFFORD H. MCCURDY. 

